You’ll spot the First African Baptist Church in front of you-it’s a striking reddish-brick building with three pointed arched windows above a set of concrete steps and a single central door, so just look for the bold triangular facade lined with crisp white trim.
Now, let’s set the scene-imagine yourself standing here in the heart of Georgetown, the year is 1870, and this place is buzzing with excitement. The air is thick with anticipation as a brand-new church rises up, sturdy red bricks glowing in the sun, and the sound of hammers and hopeful voices seems to echo even now. It all began decades earlier, in 1815, with a small, determined congregation-the original First Baptist Church-gathering just a stone’s throw away. Fast-forward to 1842: Pastor Howard Malcom leads the main church to a new home closer to the college, and hands this hallowed ground over to Georgetown’s Black Baptists. The first leader here? G. W. Dupee, a man who began as a slave and rose to become the church’s first official pastor-talk about beating the odds! Over time, the community grew, laughter and perseverance filling every inch, until in 1870, during Pastor Reuben Lee’s tenure, this Gothic Revival building was born, complete with its original double doors (for men and women to enter separately-imagine the awkward shuffling when folks forgot which door to use!). In 1984, both church and parsonage earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places-a testament to all the prayers, songs, and dreams that passed through these doors.
